Poverty Flashcards
Poverty
A situation where an individual or family does not have the financial means to afford the costs necessary for basic everyday needs
Poverty symptoms (United States Census Bureau)
- the circumstance in which an individual has an income less than $36 per day, or a family of 4 has an income less than $72 per day
- $180/$360 weekly
- $720/$1,440 monthly
- $8640/$17,280 yearly
Comorbidities
- substance use disorder
- diabetes
- chronic stress
- cardiovascular disease
- obesity
- anxiety
- depression
Health (occupational limitation)
- food insecurities
- mental health challenges
- increased risk health conditions
Medical care access (occupational limitation)
- lack of insurance
- out-of-pocket costs
Transportation (occupational limitation)
- limited access to meet the cost of transportation
Job instability (occupational limitation)
- lack of necessary resources, opportunities, capabilities to find and maintain employment
Education (occupational limitation)
- limited access to higher education
Physical (occupational limitation)
- physical appearance
- hygiene
Social (occupational limitation)
- isolated
- feeling of exclusion
How can we as OTs help this population?
Advocate:
- provide education
- promote policy change
Implement community-based interventions
- can look at different interventions based on location, population, and resources
- can help run programs that support skill development, economic empowerment, social inclusion, job training, etc
Client-centered support:
- adapting to their environment
- connecting them with resources
- developing strategies
- improve daily functioning within the constraints they face
Tiffany’s lived experience
- is from Winnipeg, Canada
- grew up around alcoholism
- living at Salvation Army for 5 years
- employment and housing tend to be uncertain
- former drug user
- struggles with anxiety and depression
- “poverty - it’s a weight on your shoulders that pushes you down”
- isolation/lack of stable social environment
- mental illness struggles (depression and anxiety)
- education (dropped out of high school and not much life skills)
- finance management (struggles to find meaning with work and daily living activities
5 elements of poverty
- economic and family security
- education
- food and nutrition
- health
- housing and energy
Analysis of Tiffany’s lived experience
- occupational deprivation = skating and education
- SEED-SCALE could be an effective method to empower people experienceing injustices associated with poverty
- also a gap for occupational scientist to further research
Key takeaways
- poverty is a very complex topic that affects a variety of people and populations differently
- significantly influences various aspects of life, including health, living conditions, and the ability to carry out ADLs
- overcoming poverty is challenging due to many systemic factors that continue it
- we as OTs need to educate ourselves and advocate for our clients so they can live the most independent life possible
